Carla Occaso
Northeast Kingdom poet Toussaint St. Negritude of Newark, Vermont, has released an audiobook titled “Mountain Spells: Poems.” The audiobook was released through Rootstock Publishing of Montpelier in partnership with The Audiobook Experience in Shelburne.
The release contains the award-winning debut full-length collection by St. Negritude, according to a press release.
St. Negritude, 66, has been writing poetry since his youth, he told The Bridge by email. “I’ve been writing poetry since late elementary school. My mother introduced me to the powers of poetry when I was a child, and has always been an avid fan of poetry and the arts in general,” he continued, adding that he began to pursue the craft in high school. He said he is inspired by life and the wonder of all of our lives. “I’m especially inspired by the wilderness, our waters, mountains, and all the magic therein. I’ve always been inspired by the mystical spiritual forces of the natural world, both around us and collectively within us as well.”
St. Negritude listed as his favorite poets Maya Angelou, Nikki Giovanni, Langston Hughes, Sonia Sanchez, Allen Ginsburg, Essex Hemphill, Tomas Tranströmer, Joy Harjo, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Aimé Césaire, Derek Walcott, June Jordan, and Ntozake Shange.
He said living in Vermont has influenced his poetry from the “deep evergreening resonance of our lush landscape” to the mountains, forests, and waters. Also, his hometown borders Lake Willoughby, and he has marveled how it remains crystal clear, “no matter how less clearly we choose to see ourselves.”
He also pointed to the immense racism, homophobia, and classism throughout the state, saying Vermont has further sharpened his perspectives on the necessity of “freedom, love of self as well as of others, and the necessity of our collective clarity as an ever-broadening community.” St. Negritude’s poetry is infused with his experience with nature and human experience.
“I also love bringing these poems into live performance, summoning the spirit of each word expressed. I’m so grateful that this audiobook further allows so many more listeners to also hear the spirit of these poems.”
Publisher Samantha Kolber writes in the press release how St. Negritude’s narration is powerful. She goes on to say “We need to listen to the lived experiences of our Black and minority artists.”
The audiobook of “Mountain Spells: Poems” (ISBN: 9781578692057) is available for purchase on the Rootstock website, everywhere audiobooks are sold, and is available for library downloads.
